Claire Hampton

              I watch the man at the table gnawing his dirty fingernails, pungent sweat darkening the underarms of his denim shirt. There’s no air, no oxygen penetrating the thick reinforced glass of the small window.

              A fly circles.

              A woman enters clutching an envelope, a cold breath rushing in before the heavy metal door slams shut.

              ‘Who is she?’ she growls with venom, extracting photographs and spreading them across the table. I look down at the images, then closer, my broken body in technicolour glory, pieces rearranged like a Picasso. The monster can’t curtail his smile, and no-one hears me scream.

Claire Hampton is a neurodivergent writer and artist from Teesside, England. Her recent work has featured in Versification, The Daily Drunk, Sledgehammer, The Mark Literary Review, Full House Literary Magazine, Selcouth Station Press, and others. Check out her other stories at clairehampton.com or follow her @champtoncreates for updates.